Self-locking spike.



G. I. DE FORGE & M. DRYPOO S. SELF LOCKING SPIKE. APPLICATION FILED DBO. 27, 1912.

1,084,405. Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

A TTOIM/EVS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE I. DE FORCE AND MOSES DRYFOOS, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

SELF-LOCKING SPIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed Dec'embery27, 1912.

made certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Locking Spikes, of which the follow ing is a specification.

Our invention relates to spikes and more particularly to devices of this kind known as self locking spikes, and used more especially upon railway tracks for holding the rails upon the cross ties.

More particularly stated our invention comprehends a spike having all the advantages of an ordinary spike, and at the same time provided with shoulders of peculiar form for preventing the ready withdrawal of the spike from the wooden cross tie or other analogous member into which the spike is driven.

Our invention further comprehends a spike having a special form of pointfor facilitating the entrance of the spike into the wooden member with which it is associated.

Reference is-made to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and in which like letters indicate like parts.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved spike, and Fig. 2 is a cross section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

A shank 3 is provided with a head 4 integral with it and also with a point 5, the

latter having the proximate form of a wedge.

The point 5 is provided upon its opposite faces with fins 6, which enxtend for a little distance along the sloping or tapering part of the shank, as will be understood from Fig. 1. The fins 6 serve as cutting edges and facilitate the entrance of the point 5 into the cross tie. The shank 3 is provided with a groove 7 and with a shoulder 8, the groove having a substantially triangular cross section, as will be understood from Fig. 2, and the shoulder 8 being also of a general triangular form.v There are two of the grooves 7 shown located upon each side of the shank 3.

The operation of our device is as follows- The spike being made as above described the point 6 is placed upon the cross tie or other wooden member int-o which the spike is to be driven, the head 4: being brought adjacent to the foot of the rail in a manner well understood in this art. The spike is now driven into the cross tie. The fins 6 by serving as cutting edges facilitate the entrance of the spike into the cross tie. After the spike is driven well down into the cross tie the shoulder prevents the ready withdrawal of the spike. This is because the wood of which the cross tie is composed, being more or less springy and disposed to regain its original form, projects into the groove 7 and lodges directly against the shoulder 8 so as to slightly overhang the latter. If now an effort is made to withdraw the spike the shoulder 8 tightens against the overhanging particles of wood. of the cross tie and prevents the extraction of the spike.

We do not limit ourselves to the exact form shown, as variations may be made in our invention without departing from the spirit thereof as set forth in the claims annexed.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. A spike comprising a shank provided with a head and with a point, and also provided upon one of its faces with a groove bounded by a shoulder to prevent the easy withdrawal of the spike, said point being provided with inclined flat facesfia'nd with projecting fin portions of greater width than the point and extending perpendicularly from said inclined faces.

2. A spike comprising a shank and a head integral therewith, said shank being provided with a groove and with a shoulder bounding said groove to prevent the easy withdrawal of said spike, said shank being provided with a cutting portion having faces inclined relatively to each other, said cutting portion being further provided with fins integral with said portion and extending therefrom in planes perpendicular to 7 said inclined faces.

3. A spike comprising a shank provided with a head and with a point, said shank terminating adjacent tothe oppositely disbeing provided upon its oppositely disposed posed shoulders.

faces with two grooves, each groove reach- GEORGE 1. DE FORCE. ing nearly the entire distance from the head MOSES DRYFOOS.

to the point, and being bounded at one end Witnesses:

of said groove by a shoulder, said point be- W. S. CARROLL,

ing provided with inclined fiat feces each PHIL H. HARTMAN. 

